Private Lies: 2 Plays About Prostitution and Johns

Two new one-act plays, written by two Chicago playwrights, examine one problem—prostitution—from a new angle. Caleb Probst's THE STRINGS ATTACHED and James Frizzell's THE JOHNS explore the underlying causes of the demand for prostitution through their portrayals of four men who buy sex. Raw with emotion, these plays delve into a psychological terrain that still remains largely ignored. The audience is taken to revelatory heights as the dark secrets of those individuals driving the demand for the sex trade are unearthed to reveal their true motivations, encompassing both the horror and banality of exploitation, lust, and power.

The production is presented by End Demand Illinois, a coalition of 20 organizations working to end sexual exploitation by directly addressing the culture, institutions and individuals that perpetrate, profit from or tacitly support sexually exploitive acts against people. The plays will run May 27th through June 13, Thursday through Saturdays at 7 PM and Sundays at 3pm at the Viaduct Theater located at 3111 North Western Avenue, Chicago Illinois. The audience will be invited to stay for talk-backs with prostitution survivors, experts in the field, and the plays' artists following the Thursday and Sunday performances. Additional activities surrounding the issues will take place at the Viaduct June 17th through June 20th.

CAASE Launches Its Prevention Curriculum

In March of 2010 CAASE launched its curriculum that helps high school aged men learn about the harms of the sex trade both for the individuals being purchased and for the purchaser as well. This curriculum is the first of its kind in the country and is already attracting national attention and praise. Each month we will run the curriculum both at the Juvenile Temporary Detention Facility along with schools and community groups throughout the city.